Missourians Advised To Resist Health Care Law

Over the past few months the government has been spending millions on advertising to create awareness for the upcoming Health Insurance Marketplace, which opens for enrollment on October 1st. The new marketplace will help millions of Americans customize a healthcare plan that best suits their needs. Although open enrollment is less than a week away, some state officials continue to discourage residents in participating.

Lt. Gov. Peter Kinder has a message for the thousands of Missourians looking for health insurance: Don't get it through an online marketplace that launches next week. "I would hope there would be active resistance to this law — that people would not sign up," Kinder said Monday. 

Later today President Obama and Bill Clinton will meet to discuss the value of the new exchange. With open enrollment just days away, how many people do you think will purchase their plan through an online marketplace?

Want to learn more about the future of the marketplace? At IIR's HIX Reloaded, we'll help you shape your strategy for the ever evolving marketplace. To learn more, download our agenda.

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Health Insurance Exchange Update: Friday, September 28th

In preparation for the Health Insurance Exchange launch next October in Colorado, three Denver based non-profits have spent the past few months collecting consumer based research data. The mission of the exchange is to give consumers the most affordable options, and lower premiums. It will also be a place to compare and contrast health plans, and review tax credits. Common suggestions from the public have included: live chat assistance from neutral and knowledgeable staff; a glossary to explain obscure insurance terms; concise, visual summaries of plans in layman’s terms; and involvement from consumer watchdog groups such as the Better Business Bureau. There will also be alternative options for people who are unfamiliar or do not wish to use the internet.

After receiving a $42.4 million federal grant, Minnesota continues to develop their new Health Insurance Exchange program. The state has received around 71 million to assist in building their program. "This grant allows us to continue the technical work needed to allow Minnesota to design and develop a state-based exchange," said Jim Schowalter, commissioner of Minnesota Management & Budget, in a statement.  The state must complete a blueprint of the plan by November 16th.

The supreme court has ruled the new federal healthcare law to be constitutional, but under Propsition E citizens of Missouri will be able to cast votes on insurance exchanges. Proposition E on the November ballot would prohibit Gov. JayNixon or any state agency from setting up a health insurance exchange without the approval of the legislature or the state’s voters. However, the federal law will only allow this block to be temporary, by 2014 an exchange is required each state.

Want to learn more about the health insurance exchange? This November, the Health Insurance Exchange Congress will be held November 13-14, 2012 in Chicago, IL.  Here, state officials and health plans with the only opportunity to come together to discuss PPACA and strategize on how to make this a successful opportunity for all.  For more information on this year's agenda, download the program here.  As a reader of this blog, when you register to join us and mention code XP1710BLOG, you'll receive 15% off the standard rate!  

Health Insurance Exchange Update: Monday, August 20, 2012

Maryland State Flag

Last week here on the blog, we focused on creating a strong IT presence for a healthcare exchange.  In today's update, we see a number of state prepping for their exchanges by partnering with IT firms.  For those who are not, many states are delaying their discussions as long as they can to avoid creating an exchange for their state.

As IT is such an important part of the healthcare exchange, many professional services catering to the industry are seeing a boost in the contracts they are receiving.  According to the Washington Post, there have been 75 contracts awarded nationally in relation to the new health insurance exchange.  They point out that 14 of these contracts have been signed Maryland and Washington, DC.  These two states have committed to building their own exchanges to prepare for the deadline in 2014.

Utah, one of the current states already running an Exchange, has partnered with Certifi as their financial partner for their exchange.  According to Visual Strategy, they will be responsible for responsible for processing all necessary invoicing, collections and disbursements of insurance premiums and commissions.

In Missouri, a restraining order has been issued after the Secretary of State blocked a ballot summary referencing the vote for the Heath Insurance Exchange in Missouri.  Many believe that the question is misleading and will not lead to a fair vote for Missourians when they are voting for a state or federal run health insurance exchange.  The ballot question referenced is: Shall Missouri law be amended to deny individuals, families, and small businesses the ability to access affordable health care plans through a state-based health benefit exchange unless authorized by statute, initiative or referendum or through an exchange operated by the federal government as required by the federal health care act?  According to Missourinet, they believe the ballot is bias.  The courts will issue a ruling on August 28.

In Kentucky, the vote for the creation of an exchange by the Interim Joint Committee on Health and Welfare has been delayed until the next session. They claimed there was not enough information on how it would work and operate to vote properly. The federal government would pay for the exchange the first year, then pass the costs off to the states. The Lane Report claims that it would cost the states $67 million in the second year of operation.

This November, the Health Insurance Exchange Congress will be held November 13-14, 2012 in Chicago, IL.  Here, state officials and health plans with the only opportunity to come together to discuss PPACA and strategize on how to make this a successful opportunity for all.  For more information on this year's agenda, download the program here.  As a reader of this blog, when you register to join us and mention code XP1710BLOG, you'll receive 15% off the standard rate!

Health Insurance Exchange Update: Monday, August 6, 2012

Missouri State Flag

Despite the fact that a fight is waged against the new health care law, there are measures insuring what will be done on creating health care exchanges. Some states are voting for a consensus among the people, others want to get going but they do not have an idea of what the exchanges run by the government will entail and how much money will be used for the program. While others are standing, arms folded and refusing to play. Regardless, one way or another, the exchanges are going to be set up.

Missouri is so divided on the measure that there will be a vote to see if they should set up the exchanges or not. Though this news is a few months old, they are not even fighting over the exchanges anymore; they are still fighting over the wording of the referendum. The Washington Post reports that back in May, the General Assembly approved a ballot measure to set up the exchanges. The Republican-controlled legislature wanted to try and block Gov. Jay Nixon, a Democrat, from establishing the exchanges by executive order. But Nixon stated that he does not plan to do that. Now the language used on the ballot was deemed biased and inaccurate by Lt. Gov. Peter Kinder supposedly within minutes of its publication. So now not only will the people be voting for a president in November but also whether to set up exchanges. But the legislative body may be forgetting one thing: the federal government will set up their own exchanges.

With the bickering happening back and forth in Missouri, there are some states that are moving on in case the president remains in office.

The New York Times reports that the federal government will be covering more states than it had anticipating. The government will not have a one-size fits all exchange program set up, this will vary from state to state. But the article makes it clear that the federal government is not so transparent as other states. California, Mississippi, Minnesota, and Nevada have websites that show documents pertaining to their exchange marketplace. These documents show cost estimates, minutes of public meetings and information about goods and services.

The government, however, is vague about financing the exchange program and they have disclosed little information about their plans. This leaves officials like Thomas M. Hate, president of Landmark Benefits in New Hampshire, says that they have no idea what the federal government’s exchange will look like. He goes on to say that they have not been much communication between the state and federal officials.

This November, the Health Insurance Exchange Congress will be held November 13-14, 2012 in Chicago, IL.  Here, state officials and health plans with the only opportunity to come together to discuss PPACA and strategize on how to make this a successful opportunity for all.  For more information on this year's agenda, download the program here.  As a reader of this blog, when you register to join us and mention code XP1710BLOG, you'll receive 15% off the standard rate! 

Health Insurance Exchange Update: Tuesday, July 10, 2012

Delaware State Flag

House Republicans are going to vote on the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act tomorrow. It will most likely be ruled in favor of repeal but they need the Senate. The House’s motion will be dead on arrival. Besides the battle still being waged on Capitol Hill, there is a state that is having internal issues.  

Missouri's state officials are arguing over the semantics of their ballot summary. The state are holding a vote in November on a bill that would stop Democratic Gov. Jay Nixon from setting up health insurance exchanges without the consent of state legislature or state voters. So now the Lt. Gov. Peter King said that he will file a lawsuit citing that the summary is biased.

So with staunch opponents of the bill will wait until the November election to do anything and a state fighting amongst themselves, other states are beginning to set in motion their own exchanges. 

In Indiana, JA Benefits, a benefits provider, has begun creating their own health insurance exchange. Called JA Exchange, the exchange will help individuals compare options. The exchange will receive quotes in seconds by filling in the right information. Private exchanges like JA Exchange will be the force in the marketplace. 

Kansas seems to be in a bit of a bind with the outcome of the ruling according to Kansas Watchdog. Gov. Sam Brownback decided not to accept the $31.5 million provided by the federal government to establish exchanges. He and 22 other governors involved in the lawsuit against the bill banked on the Supreme Court striking down the law. And that did not work out too well. So now what? That is the question the governor is up against at the moment. A scramble would be on to create the exchanges themselves but the Head of Insurance Department Accident and Health Division Linda Sheppard believes that there are three choices to be made. One choice is to use the amount of time they have left to set up their own exchanges. There second choice is to cut a deal with the federal Health and Human Services regulators. With this, the federal government will set the rules and then Kansas would enforce. The third choice is to allow federal regulators to run the exchanges. 

Delaware has one foot in and one foot out. Democratic Gov. Jack Markell is unsure whether they want to expand Medicaid in their state. And since the Supreme Court ruled that the government could not withhold money if a state does not expand Medicaid, the state is weighing their options. As far as setting up the exchanges, the process is underway. But because of the state’s small size, it intends to have federal regulators take over operational duties. 

This November, the Health Insurance Exchange Congress will be held November 13-14, 2012 in Chicago, IL.  Here, state officials and health plans with the only opportunity to come together to discuss PPACA and strategize on how to make this a successful opportunity for all.  For more information on this year's agenda, download the program here.  As a reader of this blog, when you register to join us and mention code XP1710BLOG, you'll receive 15% off the standard rate!

Health Insurance Exchange Update: Tuesday, June 26, 2012

We have two days until the decision will be heard and our politicians will figure out the next steps in health care reform. Still, with two days left to worrying whether or not Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, states and state officials preparing for the possibility of the act being upheld and a democratic Governor disagrees with the individual mandate.

In Missouri, Democratic Governor Jay Nixon has expressed his displeasure with the requiring of individuals to buy health coverage, according to St. Louis Public Radio. He wanted to make it clear his feelings regarding the ACA to what he calls “Washington Healthcare Law”.

Also expressing disinterest with the health care reform, Governor Scott Walker of Wisconsin said that no matter what happens on Thursday, he will not act on any of the provisions in the act until November, according to Milwaukee Public Radio. And what's going on in November? The general election. And, what does Walker believe? Yes, he wants to, rather he believes that Mitt Romney will be in office in November. 

In Florida, changes are being made to help improve their already standing health exchange program, according to Market Watch. Xerox has decided to work with Florida’s health exchange program entitled Florida Health Choices to build health insurance marketplace in Florida Health Choices. The contract is reportedly going to last 9 years and it will be valued at $68 million. The insurance marketplace Xerox is going to design will give Xerox is going to provide a cloud-based web portal, an online plan tool to give consumers and employers more information when making health insurance sections. Xerox will also provide eligibility determination and an enrollment management services for the program and it will operate as a customer contact center to share information on marketplace offerings. 

In Mississippi, there is someone who feels that part of the ACA is actually a good thing for his state, according to the Desoto Times. The State Insurance commissioner Mike Chaney feels health insurance exchange as crucial tool to broaden health care of Mississippians. He feels that this is not a Republican idea, a Democrat idea, but a universal idea. Stating the obvious, Chaney also believes that Mississippi will be in better shape than neighboring Louisiana, who has not taken any steps towards making exchanges. And in buying into that reasoning, Chaney has taken steps to see it implemented gathering proposals of companies would enter the exchange. When he was in office until 2009, he brought up legislature for the exchanges, but of course, it was not passed. But Chaney realized with his new position, he was going to use that pull in order to get the exchanges ready. And with his pull, he decided to take the government’s $22 million in startup funds. 

This November, the Health Insurance Exchange Congress will be held November 13-14, 2012 in Chicago, IL.  Here, state officials and health plans with the only opportunity to come together to discuss PPACA and strategize on how to make this a successful opportunity for all.  For more information on this year's agenda, download the program here.  As a reader of this blog, when you register to join us and mention code XP1710BLOG, you'll receive 15% off the standard rate!

Health Insurance Exchange Update: Wednesday, June 20, 2012

The news surrounding the health care and the President’s universal health care law remains the same as the Justices wait to release their decision. The month of June is coming to an end and whichever way the justices go there will be a mixture of emotions ranging from outrage and satisfaction to content and indifference. 

Nonetheless, Governors, and advocates alike are still voicing their opinion before the ruling is heard.

In Missouri, representatives are ready to put to vote a bill that would prevent any health insurance exchanges by the state according to KBIA. The measure states that no exchanges are to occur unless it is approved by legislature or the voters’ approval. The bill also states that the governor cannot use an executive order to have the exchanges into action. Also in an extreme attempt of not having any exchange set up, the measure proposes to sue any state agency or worker involved in exchange activity.

In Illinois, small businesses and health care advocates are still demanding that Governor Pat Quinn use his executive order, like Rhode Island and New York, to issue an executive order for the health insurance exchanges. According to Fox Illinois, Gov. Quinn has expressed interest in using his executive order to get the exchanges in place but nothing has been done so far. Advocates want action to be taken whether or not the Justices rule in favor of Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, but the governors of fifteen other states seem to have a similar approach to this situation. 

The justices know that this decision will impact the country one way or another. Assuming it passes people are going to be covered and helped with the financial burden of coverage, with federal subsidies and state-run exchanges. But people argue that now government can do anything now since the justices have precedent if passed. The effects of striking down the act will lead to millions of people losing the health care they already have because of it being passed in 2010. 

This decision is political and emotional, and The New Republic writer Alex MacGillis echoes this very sentiment with his piece detailing the people living in Tennessee and the attempts of finding affordable health care.  

  

This November, the Health Insurance Exchange Congress will be held November 13-14, 2012 in Chicago, IL.  Here, state officials and health plans with the only opportunity to come together to discuss PPACA and strategize on how to make this a successful opportunity for all.  As a reader of this blog, when you register to join us and mention code XP1710BLOG, you'll receive 15% off the standard rate!